There Was a Wu-Tang Controller? An Animated History of Video Game Controllers

I love those “100 years of” videos, whether they’re for fashion, hairstyles, or children’s toys, so I’m really into Super Deluxe‘s 58 years of game controllers. There’s something fascinating about seeing designs evolve, or change completely, and it’s a lot of fun to see things I recognize and things I might be completely unfamiliar with. I didn’t recognize most of the controllers until about half way through the video!

The short video shows different controllers starting from the 1958’s Tennis for Two and ending at 2016’s Oculus Rift. It makes sense that controllers haven’t changed that much in some ways, because, well, most of us have human hands. But controllers have drastically changed in other ways, such as in the features they offer and their possibilities. What will controllers look like in another 58 years? What happens if we want to share Smash Bros with our alien buddies who might not have the same number of digits as we do? Important questions.

From the good, to the unruly, to Wu-tang, the team has illustrated obscure and popular controllers alike that I’m sure will bring a lot of nostalgia. I totally forgot that everyone at my middle school got obsessed with Guitar Hero and Rock Band when they came out, so that was a blast from the past. Did this animation bring up any fond memories for you?

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